Replay upholds Fielder's double vs. Cubs

Slugger thought he had homer, but video proved otherwise

By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com

MILWAUKEE -- Prince Fielder thought he had his second home run of the season Friday. The umpires ruled otherwise, even after a second look.

Crew chief John Hirschbeck gathered his crew for a video review of Fielder's first-inning fly ball to center field, which struck the top of the wall and bounced back into play. The baseball appeared to disappear for a moment, but after reviewing the video, the original call stood: Double.

"They got it right," Fielder said after the game. "They went and checked on it; that's all I was asking, because I can't see that far. Since they have the [replay] to use, might as well use it, and they did a good job."

Though he was hopeful it would be ruled a home run, Fielder still was not sure what the appropriate call was after the play.

"I just saw it bounce [and] wanted them to check it," he said. "Of course I'm thinking on the positive side for us, but I didn't know really."

Casey McGehee followed with an inning-ending groundout off Ryan Dempster that stranded Fielder at second base and Ryan Braun at third. The Cubs headed into the second inning with a 2-0 lead.

"I thought it was gone," Dempster said. "I knew I had that chance to make a pitch to get an out, and I was able to get him to hit it on the ground to third and get out of the inning. Especially after we just scored two, you want shutdown innings. It was definitely a big break for us."

It marked the sixth time that Major League Baseball's replay review system was utilized in a game involving the Brewers, and the first time that the original call stood. It was the fourth use of instant replay at Miller Park, and the first since a home run by the Astros' Geoff Blum was changed to a foul ball last Aug. 16.

Stats aplenty from Brewers' 20-run win

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers' 20-0 win over the Pirates on Thursday capped a 36-1, three-game thrashing and gave the armchair statisticians plenty to think about. We ticked off some of the records and statistical oddities in the hours after the series finale, but they kept on trickling in Friday as the Brewers prepared to play the Cubs at Miller Park.

Here are some more bits of trivia to keep the conversation going around the water cooler:

 We knew it was the largest run differential in a three-game series since the Tigers outscored the Twins, 45-10, in 1993. But the Elias Sports Bureau noted further that it was the largest National League series blowout in 109 years, since the Brooklyn Dodgers posted wins by scores of 25-6, 16-2 and 9-2 over the Reds at League Park in Cincinnati in 1901. That's a 40-run margin, for those scoring at home.

Since 1900, only one other series was decided by a margin of more than 35 runs. Boston outscored St. Louis by 36 runs in 1950 by a total score of 56-20.

 According to unofficial Brewers historian Mario Ziino, the Brewers set a club record for the fewest runs allowed in a three-game series. They had allowed two runs in a series five times:

 But they did not set a franchise record for scoring runs in a series. That mark is 40, matched most recently in 1999 against the Cubs. Here is the list, courtesy of Ziino, with the number of runs, date and opponent, and the scores of each game:

 Wednesday's 8-0 win and Thursday's 20-0 win gave the Brewers back-to-back shutouts in the same series for the 15th time in the franchise's 42 seasons. They also accomplished that feat in each of the past two seasons:

 With 13 singles, seven doubles, one triple and four home runs on Thursday, the Brewers set a club record with 46 total bases (the previous record for a nine-inning game was 39 total bases, and the record for an extra-inning game was 40 total bases). The 12 extra-base hits tied a club record set in a 10-inning game at Philadelphia on May 15, 2001, and matched in a nine-inning game on July 6, 2008, in, you guessed it, Pittsburgh.

Dabney takes over bullpen duties

MILWAUKEE -- Fred Dabney formally took over as the Brewers' interim bullpen coach on Friday, when Stan Kyles departed to undergo surgery for prostate cancer. Dabney got to spend a game in the bullpen.

Considering Kyles' medical circumstances, the Brewers petitioned Major League Baseball to allow for an extra coach during the team's just-completed series in Pittsburgh. The idea was to get Dabney, whose regular job is at Class A Brevard County as the pitching coach, accustomed to Kyles' day-to-day duties.

"The request was denied," Brewers manager Ken Macha said. "We have a guy leaving the team for health reasons, and we asked the Commissioner's Office if we could have [Dabney] just job shadow for three games in Pittsburgh, and they said no.

"I don't think it's going to be a big deal. We've got veteran guys down in the bullpen."

Dabney instead spent all three games in the visitors' clubhouse.

Bad blood brewing with Bucs?

MILWAUKEE -- Brewers manager Ken Macha said he didn't appreciate the up-and-in pitch from Pirates starter Zach Duke that struck Rickie Weeks in the sixth inning of Wednesday's game in Pittsburgh.

It was a 1-2 offering, but it also came immediately after Brewers pinch-hitter Jody Gerut delivered a pinch-hit, two-run home run that gave Milwaukee a 7-0 lead.

"To throw at somebody's face, I don't think that was very good," Macha said. "I don't know if he did or not. I can't determine what the intention is. But I kind of took exception to it, and Rickie did, too.

"They were hitting Prince [Fielder] last year, and now they're hitting Rickie. Those are the wrong guys to be hitting, I'll say that. I would pick somebody else out."

Fielder and Weeks have each been plunked five times this season, and Ryan Braun once. Brewers pitchers, meanwhile, have only struck four opposing batters.

"We don't budge," Macha said. "Prince doesn't budge. He hangs in there. Pitchers are trying to back him off the plate, but he's not backing off. Consequently, you get hit."

Weeks got some payback the day after Duke's plunking by scoring four times in the Brewers' historic 20-0 win.

Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.